Ask a graduating GS student!

<p>Mostly kids, yeah. But, there’s a lot of GSers who are there doing constructive stuff - volunteer work, hosting events for alumni, etc. Personally, I worked out with my brothers quite a bit, volunteered with them, and did the whole alumni circuit. But, I never went to a sorority mixer or anything like that.</p>

<p>There are brothers and sisters on campus who are in their 30s, some are married, many are veterans. In many cases, despite the negative press, Greek houses are the sites of profoundly meaningful interactions between students of all ages, colors, and sexual orientations. </p>

<p>I’d encourage you to do your research. If you find a house that seems to jive with who you are and what you want, reach out and, by all means, RUSH!</p>

<p>BTW, congrats to Jan for winning a great award this year (among, I’m sure, many others) at Class Day. Three cheers for helping out noobs!</p>

<p>I’m very confused about the Core Curriculum.As a community college transfer,how much (subjects) of a core curriculum do we need to take at Columbia? Hoping all my credits transfer that will cover up the core curriculum so I could focus on my major instead.</p>

<p>What do you think of advising at Columbia? Do you get to choose your advisers?</p>

<p>It depends on the classes you’ve taken. Generally things can only count toward one core requirement, except for cultural diversity and Quantitative Reasoning. The core is outlined here: [GS</a> Core Requirements | General Studies](<a href=“http://www.gs.columbia.edu/core-requirements]GS”>The Core < School of General Studies | Columbia University)</p>

<p>-Everyone has to take university writing, no matter what.
-Foreign Language: If you can pass an exam proving you know at least 4 semesters worth of a foreign language you’re exempted from this, you can also test into a higher level
-Literature: 2 literature classes at the 3000 level or above. They need to be focused on lit, so some things that aren’t purely lit won’t count here, but they’ll take a lot
-Humanities: this tends to be pretty broad, and the boundary between Humanities and Social Sciences can blur a bit. History, philosophy, religion, etc may all count here. You can probably cover this.
-Art Humanities: This is a bit tough to transfer in, but some do manage to petition to get them to count a previous class. It must be a seminar style analytical art class.
-Music Humanities: again tough to transfer in, but you can petition once you’re in to get an exemption.
-Social Sciences: similar to humanities, lots of things will count here. Includes anthro, econ, poli sci, psych, etc.
-Quantitative Reasoning: this isn’t really a class requirement so much as a general thing. You need to do something to prove you can deal with basic math type stuff. You can count your SAT scores if you did them within the last ~7 years, and they were high enough. You can pass a QR exam. You can transfer in basically any math, stats, or computer science class.
-Science: they have a pretty wide definition here. Math, computer science, statistics, physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy, etc all count.<br>
-Cultural Diversity: basically any class that is focused on an exclusively non-western culture. This can overlap with a major or other core requirement, like a Japanese literature course.</p>

<p>You do not get to choose your adviser, one is assigned. I’ve found my adviser to be competent and helpful, but nothing amazing. The onus is definitely on you, but they’ll help and give advice when you need it.</p>

<p>Thanks for the info campaigner.</p>

<p>I have a rough judgement of what I need to take for the Core classes when i enroll in Fall.
In the past,I guess they will only send a mail in regards to credit transfer evaluation and institution scholarship after you send in the final transcript?</p>

<p>Thanks, hellojan and studies12. I really appreciate your insight! :)</p>

<p>I’ve been accepted to GS for the fall, and I’m still trying to decide if I want to go. Do you know what the financial aid deal is with the Post 9/11 GI Bill?</p>

<p>In your opinion (hellojan or Studies12), what would be the ideal first semester of courses you would take if you just entered Columbia?</p>

<p>It depends on your thoughts about major, and how much you’ll transfer in.</p>

<p>As a full time student don’t take more than 4 classes. One of your classes will be University Writing. After that it’s up in the air, but be sure you keep in mind your core and major requirements and prerequisites. I prefer to balance different subjects, eg taking a core, a math, and an econ.</p>

<p>I’m probably going to choose Financial Econ. Between my previous schools, I have a ton of credits in all different subjects, so it depends on which courses they accept and how many will fulfill the core requirements. Hopefully, those credits will minimize the amount of core requirement I need to take, so that I can focus on my major courses.</p>

<p>I appreciate the insight.</p>

<p>Campaigner is right on the money, as usual!</p>

<p>Hello! I finally got admitted as a transfer student! I was wondering, what are my study abroad opportunities like? I know I don’t qualify to study abroad in a different institution but can I study in satellite campus of Columbia which is abroad?</p>

<p>Hey, congrats on joining the family!</p>

<p>Of course you can study abroad! Is there some logistical issue that’s keeping you from earning credits abroad? If that, or something similar, is the case I’d recommend talking to your advising dean - or asking more specific questions on this forum as you start to plan your time away. That said, I have two friends that are in the UK right now. Another is in the Middle East. It’s absolutely possible.</p>

<p>In addition to the study abroad option, you might also consider a language program. You can do cool stuff like a month and a half long immersion in a place like Jordan. Further, Columbia runs a lot of scientific fieldwork programs over breaks. I had a friend who went to Brazil a couple of summers ago and came back with something like 6 credits - and a lot of pictures of him drinking mojitos with girls.</p>

<p>Thanks you hellojan! I’m very honored to join the family!</p>

<p>Hi there. In researching the application process for UAH, I understand that qualified students are offered accommodations via email and are allotted five days to accept the offer and remit their deposits. Is this usually first and last month’s rent? Current/ graduating students, what are you paying on average and for what types of accommodations? </p>

<p>Also, how does the housing allocation come into play in terms of accepting a housing offer? Thanks so much.</p>

<p>Fauves, it all depends on the address. Certain buildings, like my old place, offered leases where students paid monthly and, upon accepting an offer from UAH, paid the usual combination of first month’s rent and one month’s rent security deposit. Some buildings give you the option of paying per term - in these buildings/scenarios, your per semester rent bill is rolled in with tuition, fees, etc.</p>

<p>I paid ~$900 for a tiny room, a shared kitchen and bath. I had two roomies and no A/C. That said, unless you’ve watched too much Million Dollar Listing, you know that being in New York is all about what’s happening on the outside of your apartment. My little monastic cell was a sad sight. But, when I stepped outside, I walked through Sakura Park, past Grant’s Tomb, and along the mind-blowing Riverside Church on my way to campus. It was a five minute walk and an absolute feast for the eyes.</p>

<p>Also, Fauves, there’s at least one really good thread about UAH housing - it’s from sometime last year. I’d recommend doing a search for it as much of the information will still be relevant. GOOD LUCK!</p>

<p>Thanks hellojan! You are incredibly helpful.</p>

<p>when do you find out how much financial aid GS offers? i read somewhere that they won’t tell you their financial aid package until after you send them your $500 deposit. is this true?</p>

<p>On April 26th, I was told in an email that their goal is to begin awarding fall '12 students in June.</p>

<p>They’ll send you a letter. Unfortunately yes, it’s often after you need to accept or not.</p>

<p>Call the financial aid office and explain your concerns. They may be able to set you up with an appointment to go over your likely aid before then.</p>